Tomato-masher



E. SPIRITO. TOMATO MASHER. APPLICATION FILED IuLY25. I9I9.

Patented June 8, 1920.

fnvenor: FR/muws SP/R/ ra, BY im A TT OPN E YS PATENT OFFICE.

ERMOGENE SPIRITO, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

TOMATQ-MASHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Application sled :my 25, 1919. serial No. 313,361.

To all whom t may concern:

Be 1t known that l, ERMOGENE SPIRITO, a

\ citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of vLos Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tomato-Mashers, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to make a tomato masher, and my invention consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

Figure 1 is an isometric perspective of a tomato masher embodying` the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal central sectional detail on the line 2 2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a perspective analogous to Fig. 1 with the cover removed.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross section on the lines 5 5 of figs. 2 and 3 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the lines 6 6 of Figs. 2 and 3 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective of one corner of the box with the cover removed.

The bottom 1 is a fiat rectangular board. Sides 2 and 3 extend upwardly from the bottom 1. A solid end wall 4 extends upwardly from the bottom 1 between the ends of the sides 2 and 3, and the end wall 5 extends upwardly from the bottom 1 between the sides 2 and 3 and has an opening 6. A spout 7 is mounted to extend from near the top of the wall 4 downwardly and outwardly through the opening 6. The spout 7 is substantially a flat plate having sides 8 and 9 bent upwardly and secured against the inner faces of the sides 2 and 3.

The mashing tray consists of a semi-cylindrical foraminous sheet metal plate 10 having flanges 11 and 12 extending from its side edges into recesses 13 and 14 at the upper inner corners of the sides 2 and 3, and semi-circular wooden heads 15 and 16 extending across the ends. Two pins 17 extend from diagonally opposite corners of the tray into notches 19 in the ends 4 and 5, the ends of the pins extending outwardly beyond the outer face of the ends 4 and 5, so that the tray may be lifted out of the box by manually engaging the projecting ends of the pins.

An operating shaft 20 is mounted in semicircular recesses in the upper edges of the ends 4 and 5, and a hand crank 21 is formed integral with one end of the shaft. The mashing element 22 is fixed upon the shaft 20 between the heads 15 and 16. The details of the mashing element 22 are as follows:

The mashing element is formed of a heavy piece of board and comprises the blade 23 extending one way and the blade 24 extending diametrically the other way, said blades 23 and 24 overlapping slightly at the center of the tray. The blade 24 is gouged out on one side to produce the winding corrugated surface 25, and the blade 23 is correspondingly gouged out to form the winding corrugated surface 26. The edges 27 and 2S of the blades 23 and 24 fit closely against the upper face of the foraminous plate 10 and the outer ends of the blades t closely against the inner faces of the heads 15 and 16.

The cover 29 consists of side strips 30 and 31, a semi-circular metal plate 32 secured to the side strips and 31, the end boards 33 and 34 fixed in the ends of the plate 32, the hopper 35 discharging downwardly through the center of the plate 32, and hinges 36 and 37 securing the strip 31 to the side 3. The hopper lits squarely upon the box and forms the upper half of the chamber 38 in which the blades 23 and 24 operate.

The tomatoes to be mashed are placed in the hopper 35 and fall downwardly in the chamber 3S, and the crank 21 is manually operated to rotate the blades 23 and 24, and the blades press the tomatoes against the foraminous plate 10 thereby crushing the tomatoes and the juice runs through the perforations in the plate 10 and falls upon the spout 7 and is discharged outwardly and downwardly into a suitable receptacle not shown.

The faces 25 and 26 of the blades 23 and 24 tend to move the tomatoes endwise of the chamber 38. The tomatoes which do not pass under the edge of Lne blade 23 are moved toward the opening at the back of the blade 24, and the tomatoes which do not pass under the edge of the blade 24 are moved toward the blade 23.

After the masher has been used the cover may be turned upon the hinges 36'and 37, the blades 23 and 24 and the tray 10 removed and Washed and the box olea-ned and laid away ready for another day.

Various changes may be made Withoutrdeparting from the spirit of my invention as 5 claimed.

I claim:

A tomato masher comprising a box, -a curved foraininous tray positioned Within the boX7 a shaft rotatably mounted and positioned in operative relation to the tray,

' mashing blades mounted upon the shaft and ofthe tray toward the center.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto thisspeoifieation.

ERMGGENE SPIRITO. 

